Kopan Course No. 39 (2006)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Kopan Monastery, Nepal (Archive #1587)

Lamrim teachings given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the 39th Kopan Meditation Course, held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in November-December 2006. Lightly edited by Gordon McDougall.

Go to the Index page to view an outline of topics and click on the links to go directly to the lectures. You can also download a PDF of the entire course.

Lecture 3: The Cause of Samsara

DELUSIONS DISTURB AND OBSCURE

[Rinpoche chants prayers in Tibetan]

If you have the text you can read in English.

[Rinpoche and students chant in English]

A star, a defective view, a butter lamp flame,
An illusion, a dew drop, a water bubble,
A dream, lightning, a cloud:
See all causative phenomena like this.

By these merits, may transmigratory beings
Attain the state of all-seeing, subdue the enemy of faults,
And be freed from the ocean of samara
Disturbed by the waves of aging, sickness, and death.

I made many long hours of noise last night talking about emptiness! Many hours of blah, blah, blah. It was to introduce a meditation on the meaning of this stanza, kar ma rab rib ... [A star, a defective view …] That explanation took time; it took all last night.

To be able to meditate the first one, “a star,” looking at the phenomena as like a star, to be able to understand that is very deep. That meditation has a very deep meaning. Of course, what I mentioned last night was the very essential introduction, but I haven’t studied it in the way that the monks study it. I spend time sleeping, eating, going to toilet, eating, sleeping. The monks in monasteries, even here at Kopan Monastery, study those Madhyamaka subjects for many years, memorizing the root texts and commentaries and doing analytical meditations and debating in groups and person to person.

By studying these Buddhist philosophical texts extensively, those very large monastic universities preserve the Buddhadharma in a very extensive way, preserving the understanding. That means preserving in such depth what the Buddha explained and the commentaries the pandits wrote, the fully enlightened great scholars, the highly attained ones, including the great Tibetan pandits. The monks memorize them and then debate on them day and night for many years. In the philosophical teachings, there are many volumes to study, with many different ways of reasoning. So actually, these texts are very profound, very extensive.

Before giving or listening to teachings, these are essential to cleanse the mind, to clean away the garbage of the mind, to cut attachment and ignorance. And, if there is anger, to also cut that, and to cut the delusions, the negative emotional thoughts, the obscuring, disturbing negative attitude, those thoughts. In Tibetan is called nyon mong. It is a mental factor. Generally speaking, there are six principal consciousnesses and fifty-one mental factors. This is the mental factor that has the function of disturbing our mental continuum, the opposite to bringing peace to our mental continuum. Instead of making the mental continuum peaceful, it kind of disturbs us. It’s the mental factor which does that function. But here I add one more word so you have deeper feeling. Not only disturbing, but I add the word “obscuring.”

So, there are two things. There is this mental factor that does the function of obscuring our mind from being able to see the reality of phenomena, as I mentioned yesterday—the ultimate nature, what is the reality of the I, the emptiness of the I. It also obscures us from seeing as impermanent the I and causative phenomena, which are in the nature of impermanence. This mental factor apprehends as permanent causative phenomena that are in the nature of impermanence, such as I; it holds onto them as permanent.

THE SUFFERING OF CHANGE

Samsaric pleasure, the suffering of samsara that is unnoticeable to us, only becomes noticeable when it increases, when it becomes very gross. Until that time, while it is smaller, unnoticeable, the mind labels it “pleasure.” The mind makes up the label “pleasure” and we believe in that. Then, it appeared as pleasure from its own side, it appears as pleasure which is not merely labeled. That pleasure appears back to the I as that.

So here again, this pleasure that is not labeled by mind is totally false. It is not only not merely labeled by mind, it is not even labeled by mind. It appears as very gross, as truly existing from its own side, but it is not there, it doesn’t exist at all. So, it is just a total hallucination. We have not realized that this is false, that this is a hallucination, that it is empty. We believe that what appears as not merely labeled by the mind (or not even labeled by the mind) completely exists from its own side. All these gross wrong views are all hallucinations. Then, we get attached to that; we grasp onto that something which is not there.

That is the reality of our life. That describes the life of us samsaric beings continuously creating the cause of samsara, continuously going through the cycle of death and rebirth, over and over, experiencing all the sufferings in the realms of the hell beings, the hungry ghosts, the animals, the human beings, the suras and asuras—over and over. Like that, there is nothing new; there is nothing we have not experienced numberless times from beginningless rebirths. This is because of not having realized that this pleasure is suffering and instead believing it is pure happiness.

As I mentioned yesterday, these things appear back like this, not only not merely labeled by mind, but not even labeled by mind. They seem to have never come from mind; they seem to exist from their own side. We then hold on to that and attachment arises, the thought attached to that, grasping onto that. That way, it becomes the cause of samsara. We continuously create the cause of samsara, and also the cause of the lower realms.

I mentioned attachment the other night, on the first night of talking, and I gave a few examples of how attachment is the foundation of our life’s problems. We are not angry all the time, day and night, but attachment is there day and night, all the time, the attachment clinging to this life, to worldly concern. We live much of our life with that.

For we ordinary beings who haven’t realized the first lamrim, the graduated path of the lower capable being, especially the realization of impermanence and death, we cannot live our life free from this. As I mentioned the other day, when the four desirable objects and the four undesirable objects are equalized, they don’t bother us. When we have a realization of impermanence and death, our mind is free from worldly concern. If the four desirable objects and the four undesirable objects for worldly beings, for us as meditators or Dharma practitioners, are equalized, then whatever situation happens doesn’t bother us.

THE NEED FOR POWER COMES FROM ATTACHMENT

As I said that first night, when we are free from worldly concern, which is full of expectations, we have great peace. [As a worldly person], when we experience these four undesirable objects our life is up and down. When we meet those four desirable objects, there is attachment, grasping onto them, and when we encounter the opposite, there is dislike. We are unhappy and sometimes anger and those other negative thoughts arise.

When we are not practicing Dharma, that means our mind is the friend of the eight worldly dharmas. We become a friend to the attachment clinging to this life. We develop that, we become a friend with it, supporting it. We become a slave of the attachment clinging to this life. We constantly follow it day and night, as if we are oneness with it. Anyway, these are just different ways of expressing it.

Sometimes in the West, people think that if we don’t have attachment, we don’t have a life! Without attachment how can we survive? There is no life! How can we live without attachment? We can understand that this kind of thinking is because people don’t have the real education of the mind, how the mind creates happiness and creates suffering. The whole thing is about the mind. Their education is very limited in that.

I think the full explanation of the mind is only in Buddhism. Lama Yeshe, the great master, who is kinder than all the three-time buddhas, said that just by learning the sutras, we don’t get the full understanding of the mind. Only if we learn tantra can we learn very extensively about the mind, especially the subtle part of the mind. Then, we get the whole idea of the mind, not just what is explained in the sutra teachings, which are [comparatively] gross, only explaining some parts. Lama used to say that only by learning tantra do we learn everything about the mind, especially the very extensive teachings on the subtle mind.

Due to limitation of actual knowledge of mind, or (you can say) the lack of Dharma understanding, because of that, people live their life with attachment day and night, all the time. So of course, they will explain that without attachment there cannot be a life, it is impossible to survive. It is like without attachment you have no mind, you are dead. You are dead without attachment; you have no mind! You’re a zombie! I am just joking.

Anyway, I lost my road!

That’s right. As I mentioned the first night, this attachment clinging to this life, the eight worldly dharmas, the eight worldly concerns, this attachment is the foundation of all our life’s problems. On that first night I gave some idea of how all our problems come from that; they are based on that.

Countries try to take over other countries based on attachment. When they can’t get them, they make war, killing many millions of the people in the other countries. This is because of attachment. Killing many millions of people who do not have blonde hair or blue eyes. All those other people were killed, right? It’s similar to that, to killing those who don’t have blue eyes and blonde hair or blowing hairs! All this is due to the attachment.

In the world, wanting power especially comes from attachment. Starting with the power of an individual person who wants control, then the leader who wants more power, more control, who wants to control other countries, the whole world. They end up killing so many people, making so many people suffer, torturing them. On TV it was shown that during Hitler’s time so many babies were thrown in the fire. And this is without talking about the animals killed. Usually the number is only about human beings; the animals are never counted. Like in the water, when you throw bombs that explode in the ocean, numberless fish are killed, the water is polluted. And then of course on the land, the numberless other beings, the animals, are not counted; it is normally just human beings. They not only kill the people of other countries, they also kill their own people. Numberless lives are lost because of that.

This project of controlling another country or making war with another country originally came from attachment. When people don’t get what they want in a political way, they use violence, weapons.

UNDERSTANDING SUFFERING INSPIRES US TO DEVELOP ON THE PATH

You can see that attachment is very harmful; it is extremely terrifying. Delusion is extremely terrifying, very horrifying. That is a very important meditation.

We don’t even want to think about the hell realm. It is unpleasant for us; it is utterly terrifying. We don’t even want to look at drawings or paintings of the hell realm; we don’t want to think about it or hear about it. But that doesn’t help! I mean, to not think of hell doesn’t help us to not go to hell. Not thinking about it, blocking it from our thoughts, rejecting it, doesn’t help at the time of death to not be reborn in hell.

In Buddhism, by learning about the sufferings of other realms, we reflect on them, and then that inspires us to abandon the cause, negative karma, which causes us to be reborn in the hell realm. The cause doesn’t come from outside but from our own negative thoughts, the delusions, the nonvirtuous thoughts of ignorance, anger, attachment and the actions done out of these, which become nonvirtue, negative karma.

Why negative karma? Because one thing is the motivation—the ignorance, anger and attachment—and the other thing is that the only result is suffering. It can never be happiness. That’s why it receives the name “negative karma.” Knowing this inspires us to abandon negative karma. It makes us strong so we’re able to defeat our enemy, the delusions; we’re able be able to control them, to stop them arising. And then, by actualizing the path, to cease them entirely.

This is especially true of the wisdom realizing emptiness, the direct perception of emptiness. First, we realize emptiness but with an image, a conceptual realization of emptiness. Then, through developing that, by meditating on emptiness unified with shamatha, we attain great insight, which becomes a preparation to have direct perception of emptiness, the transcendental path, the arya path. Only that is able to directly cease the delusions.

And then, having removed the intellectual delusions to the doctrine, we then remove the simultaneous-born delusions, including the cause of the delusion, the seed that is in the nature of an imprint. We are able to completely remove the cause of the delusions from the mental continuum. When that happens, we have achieved liberation, total cessation.

Then, as I also mentioned, with the bodhicitta realization we collect inconceivable skies of merit all the time. With this great heap of merit, we are able to develop on the path and, with the support of the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, we are able to cease the subtle defilements. At that time, our mental continuum becomes omniscient, we achieve the fully knowing mind.

When we have a fully knowing mind, we also have perfect compassion—there is nothing more to develop. With compassion toward each and every single obscured suffering sentient being, we also have the perfect power to reveal any method that fits the karma of the sentient beings. So, we are able to do perfect work for sentient beings without the slightest mistake and bring them from happiness to happiness to full enlightenment.

By reflecting on those sufferings taught in Buddhism, those realms, we are inspired to renounce negative karma and delusions. This gives us courage, so we are gradually able to completely defeat the inner enemy, the delusions.

Also, by meditating on the sufferings of the hells and the other realms, including the suffering of the human realm, by listening to the teachings and then reflecting and meditating on them, it makes us enter the path through generating renunciation, as I mentioned before, and it makes us be totally liberated from suffering.

And the other thing is that we are able to generate compassion for others, not only for sick or poor people but even for rich people. We are able to generate compassion for all those human beings who are under the control of karma and delusions and who constantly suffer, either the suffering of pain, the suffering of change—the samsaric pleasure which is only suffering—or pervasive compounding suffering, the foundation of those two other sufferings. One meaning of pervasive compounding suffering refers to the aggregates that are caused by karma and delusions. That’s why the body and mind is in the nature of suffering. Then also, the body and mind is contaminated by the seed of delusion, that is another meaning of pervasive compounding suffering.

THE THREE REALMS ARE ONLY SUFFERING

From this pervasive compounding suffering, which means the aggregates that are in that nature, the other two sufferings arise, like water bubbles, like waves coming from the ocean. Understanding that, we are able to generate compassion. If our understanding of suffering is only poor people who have no shelter or food, our compassion is extremely limited. That means we don’t have compassion for the rest of the human beings, and we get especially angry at rich people because we are not wealthy. If our understanding of suffering is only the suffering of pain, we don’t have compassion for those experiencing the other types of sufferings, the suffering of samsaric pleasure and pervasive compounding suffering.

If we can understand the second type of suffering of samsara, how the samsaric pleasure is only in the nature of suffering, the compassion we are able to generate is much wider. Not only that, if we can also understand pervasive compounding suffering, we feel compassion for all those human beings and all those sentient beings who are suffering the samsaric pleasure and experiencing pervasive compounding suffering. We have compassion like the sky, covering all those suffering sentient beings. We even have compassion for the devas of the form realm who don’t have the suffering of pain. Our compassion is much wider. According to Geshe Sopa Rinpoche, they also have the suffering of change. Even those pleasures they have through meditation are the suffering of change. And they have pervasive compounding suffering because their aggregates are caused by karma and delusions and they also have the contaminated seed of delusion.

In the formless realm there is the pervasive compounding suffering. Because the beings of the formless realm have pervasive compounding suffering, they are not free, even if they reach the highest part or realm of samsara, the top of the formless realm—there is limitless space, limitless consciousness, nothingness and the tip of samsara.

The procedure of going from the desire realm to be born in the form realm is by meditating on how the desire realm is only in the nature of suffering, with a short life and full of problems, sicknesses and so forth. Like those places where there are a lot of epidemics and disease, very unhygienic and very dirty and we are very scared to go there. Or like some places where they have some heavy sicknesses, where you can die of some disease in a short time.

In Mongolia we tried to go to a holy place where there are a hundred stupas. I have been to Mongolia a few times, but I never made it to the place with a hundred stupas. It’s a little bit far and it takes a little bit of time to get there. We tried to go once but there was a disease that was extremely dangerous. Once you got it you died. I don’t know the name of the disease but I think it happened in the past and people thought it might be happening again, so everybody there was terrified.

Anyway, by meditating on how the desire realm is in the nature of suffering, we see that the form realm beings have a long life, something wonderful, and there is much greater happiness. Looking at that as much better, by doing analysis we see how the desire realm is totally in the nature of suffering, so disgusting. So, we have total renunciation, total detachment to the desire realm. When we compare it to the form realm, all the pleasures we thought of as great seem completely disgusting. How much we thought of the human being’s pleasure, the desire realm pleasure, as incredible, when we do the analysis we see it is totally disgusting; it is only suffering. So, we generate renunciation and achieve calm abiding meditation. Through analysis like this, we achieve the first level of the firm contemplation, it is called sam tän dang po, firm contemplation. There are four levels of firm contemplation. This is the procedure.

Within that also we look at the next realm as having better quality, with a longer life and more happiness than the previous one, which has comparatively more suffering. Through meditation, there are what might be the six apprehensions. In Tibetan it is called yeshe drug, maybe the six apprehensions, but it needs to be analyzed. I just have to name it something, to put some label on it, but you can analyze it later. The six apprehensions—the translation has to be analyzed. Through meditation we achieve the second level, then again we do the analysis through the meditation of the six apprehensions, then we go to the third and fourth, like that.

We get bored with even the pleasure that derives from this meditation, so again we do the six apprehensions, and with analysis we see the formless realm is better than the form realm. Then, we go through the six apprehensions again and [analyze] getting reborn in the formless realm. Again, there are four categories of formless realm so again, through meditation, we go through the six apprehensions. All this is through meditation, looking at the next as even better.

At the very end there is the tip of samsara. The highest realm of samsara is the formless realm, and among the four categories, the highest one is the tip of samsara. The being who achieves the tip of samsara has total renunciation, not only for the suffering of the desire realm but even for the pleasure of the form realm, seeing the form realm as totally disgusting, only suffering. They can’t find any attraction for even one second. Then, even in the formless realm, they see the other three levels as only in the nature of suffering; they can’t find attachment for even a second.

Now the problem is this. With all these procedures, looking at the previous realm as having more suffering and the next as being better, the being can achieve the tip of samsara. But there is no other higher samsaric realm to compare it with, to analyze and see if the fourth formless realm, the tip of samsara, is also only in the nature of suffering. There is no higher samsaric realm to compare it to.

Therefore, they can have total detachment, total renunciation, for all the other samsaric realms except the tip of samsara, which they cannot realize is in the nature of suffering. They lack renunciation for that and are therefore unable to enter the path. They also lack a direct perception of emptiness.

So, when that karma to be in the tip of samsara finishes, they are again reborn in the desire realm, even in the lower realms. Because they don’t have renunciation for the tip of samsara, they are unable to enter the path and unable to have a direct perception of emptiness, which directly removes the delusions, including the seed of delusion. So, again they must reincarnate.

We have all gone through the shamatha meditation, we have had the realization, achieving that which is the foundation, the four levels of firm contemplation regarding the form realm and the formless realm. We have gone through those realms numberless times; we have been born in those realms numberless times from beginningless rebirths. This is nothing new.

By explaining this, I want to emphasize that even the tip of samsara is only in the nature of suffering. We have to realize that. Without the total renunciation of samsara, we cannot enter the path to liberation. From hell up to the tip of the samsara, all of samsara is in the nature of suffering, like being in the center of a fire. Being in samsara, up to the tip of samsara—everything, the desire realm, the form realm and the formless realm—is like being in the red-hot center of a fire or like our naked body is sitting on a thorn bush, or like being in the nest of poisonous snakes or being in a septic tank—inside the septic tank, not on top of it! Inside the septic tank with all those interesting things! We are totally drowned in it, with all the germs, all the smell and all the gas, all the stuff. It is only in the nature of suffering; we can’t find attraction there for even a second. We need to generate renunciation like this, to enter the path so that we can remove all the disturbing-thought obscurations. Then we are able to achieve liberation and ultimate happiness, enlightenment.

EVERYTHING BECOMES MEANINGFUL WHEN WE CHERISH OTHERS

What was I saying? I’m losing my point! I’m wandering around, everywhere. What I was saying here is that by learning about the sufferings of the various realms we can generate compassion. Then, our compassion covers everybody; it covers all the beings of the desire realm, those who are suffering from the suffering of pain and the suffering of change, as well as the beings of the form realm—our compassion covers all of them—and our compassion also covers the formless realm beings who are experiencing the pervasive compounding suffering, even if they don’t experience the other sufferings. Our compassion covers all suffering beings, with nothing left out.

Mahayana compassion is not only wishing that they are free from suffering and the cause of suffering. It’s not only that, not just the wish for them to be free from suffering and its causes where we don’t do anything else, where we just have a good time and go for a holiday. I’m joking! With our mind of compassion, on the basis of wishing them to be free from all the suffering and its causes, we take the responsibility on ourselves, thinking “I myself will free them from all the suffering and its causes.” We take on the responsibility ourselves. That is Mahayana compassion. Generating compassion, we then do something for them; we take on the responsibility to liberate them from all suffering and its causes and bring them to liberation and to full enlightenment by ceasing the subtle defilements.

So here, you can understand the benefits of learning about true suffering and the true cause of suffering, not only for our own liberation, but it is also unbelievably important to know about other sentient beings’ suffering. That’s why we have to meditate on the suffering of the hell realm, the hungry ghost realm and the animal realm, as well as the sufferings of the suras and asuras, the sufferings of the beings in the form and formless realms. That’s why we have to study the sufferings of all the realms. The ultimate thing is that we take full responsibility. We develop our mind on the path to enlightenment and then we are able to liberate them from oceans of samsaric suffering and bring them to enlightenment. That is the ultimate goal of our life; that is the object of our life.

Why do we spend so much money for this body to survive? Why is it so important to survive? Why do we spend so much to have shelter? Even just for shelter, for a house, for comfort, why do we spend so much money? Why do we spend so much money on food? And clothes! There are winter clothes, summer clothes, autumn clothes, spring clothes; then there are nighttime clothes, daytime clothes, morning clothes, breakfast clothes, day clothes, bedtime clothes, party clothes, special clothes! There are hundreds of shoes! When I stay in somebody’s house, I often see hundreds of shoes—so many different shoes to wear at different times.

Then, we have so much expense making sure we won’t get sick in the future, making preparations, taking medicine before we get sick. We don’t have an operation before we get sick. No, maybe not that one! Anyway, we do things for prevention, having checkups, having x-rays, taking tablets for prevention, in case we are going to get a disease. We spend so much on treatments. We even spend so much time and money on exercising, learning exercises, buying exercise machines and all the equipment for exercising.

We spend so much money for this body. How many meters are there, how many inches, from the feet to the head, for this one body. We take care of it unbelievably, and all the time there is so much worry and fear about what is going to happen to this body.

Now, if we change our attitude, if instead of seeking happiness only for ourselves, only working for ourselves, if we change our attitude from that into cherishing others, seeking happiness for others, working for others’ happiness, freeing others from suffering, if we do that, all these expenses—all these comforts, the shelter, the house, the clothes, the food, the medicine, all this effort that we put into taking care of this body—it all becomes meaningful. It gives meaning to everything, to taking care of this body and obtaining all these needs. We are obtaining all these needs for others.

Having shelter, food, clothing—the main aim of everything we do becomes in our heart for the happiness of other sentient beings. And others are numberless. This is not just for one person, not just for an animal, not just for our pet, our cat or dog! Or for our pet lizard or snake! It is for numberless sentient beings: [the numberless hell beings,] the numberless hungry ghosts, the numberless animals, the numberless human beings, the numberless suras and asuras, the numberless intermediate state beings. In each of the realms there are numberless beings. This is for everyone’s happiness, to give them freedom from suffering. It becomes beneficial for every single suffering sentient being. Just by changing the attitude into compassion and bodhicitta, our whole life becomes transformed, like transforming kaka, poopoo, into gold.

It becomes the best life, the happiest life, the most meaningful life. And with this compassion, with the thought of cherishing others, with bodhicitta, everyone is in our heart, whichever country they live in. Even our enemy is in our heart. Even somebody who harms us, criticizes us, gets angry with us, even that person is in our heart. Everybody is in our heart, like how a mother feels for her beloved child, cherishing them the most and doing everything best for them—giving them the best food, the best clothing, whatever, doing everything for her child to have the best happiness. Whatever happiness the mother can think of, whatever she knows, she does the best for the child. This is how she feels for her beloved child, who is more precious than her life, like her heart. With the change of attitude to compassion, to bodhicitta, that is how we feel. There is no barrier between us and others, no wall. Everyone becomes like one family. We are close to everybody and they are close to us.

Today there is no tea?

[Rinpoche and students do the tea offering]

ALL FORMS ARE LABELED BY OUR SUPERSTITIOUS MIND

Today again, while we are having tea, we can recite the Praises to the Twenty-one Taras.

[Rinpoche and students chant the Praises]

I am going to continue what I had planned to explain yesterday. My secret plan was to talk about thought transformation from the hundreds of thought transformation texts, looking at how to use delusions on the path to enlightenment. That was the secret plan! But it didn’t happen yesterday. Today my plan has changed!

With the practice of thought transformation, whether we experience suffering or we experience happiness, we utilize it on the path to enlightenment. Whatever happens in our life, we utilize it on the path to enlightenment. Maybe I change from that—the second change—and go back to explaining the meaning of that stanza, to be able to finish that, so that you have some idea how to meditate on that.

Actually, this stanza that is recited before the teaching is a very powerful meditation. When we meditate on the meaning, it immediately brings our attention back. If we are distracted, we are able to bring our mind back to reality, to think about the reality of life. Instead of creating the cause to continuously circle in samsara, which is what we were doing before with our body, speech and mind, now we bring the mind back to the reality of life and phenomena, and we create the cause of liberation and enlightenment. This is what happens when we meditate on these verses.

I want to mention a quotation from the Seventh Dalai Lama, Kelsang Gyatso. In Tibetan it is [Rinpoche recites the verse in Tibetan.] That is the stanza; it is a very profound teaching. It says, “Every single phenomenon of samsara and nirvana ...” That also includes enlightenment, not just liberation from samsara but even the cessation of the subtle defilements. And it includes the true path, the true suffering and the true cause of suffering. “Every single phenomenon of samsara” includes all these.

The first thing [he says] is the same as I explained yesterday. You will get a clear idea because I explained that basis yesterday. “Your own superstitious thought first merely imputes everything.” Everything is merely imputed: the I, the action, the object, the aggregates of body and mind, all the senses—form, sound, smell, taste, tangible objects, all these, like in the Heart of Wisdom that we recite in the morning. The sense bases and their objects, the eighteen elements, the twelve dependently related limbs, the four noble truths—our superstitious mind merely imputes this and that, this and that.

We can see this when we look at form: at the light, the ceiling, the pillars, at any person we see, the carpets, the floor, all the holy objects here, the statues; and when we go outside: the trees, the sky, the roads, the houses, the mountains; and all the things we see when we go to the supermarket: all the hundreds of different vegetables and sixty, seventy different cheeses. I am not talking about Kathmandu! “Blue cheese” here means fungus growing on cheese! When we go to the supermarket, there are all those billions of things we see, and in the department store there are billions of clothes for children, adults and old people, all the different dresses and coats for summer and winter, for all the different seasons. Then there are all the billions of types of makeup and billions of pens.

All these forms, first our superstitious mind merely imputes that. Then, after the mere imputation, we believe in that, and then, the next one, it appears back. We need to understand the first one, how it appears back. As I mentioned yesterday, from A, B, C, D, up to Z, remember? Before we are educated, before we are introduced by somebody what label to put on the different lines, because we don’t know the labels, we haven’t labeled them A or B or C—that hasn’t been done yet. Therefore, there is no appearance that this is A, this is a B, this is a C, or a D, up to Z. We don’t have all this appearance of this and this and this. OK?

Because we don’t have all these things, because we don’t have all this appearance that this is an A, this is a B, up to Z, we don’t see it as that. We don’t see that this is an A, this is a B, this is a C, this is a D. We see the design but we don’t see that this is an A, this is a B. Until we are educated, until we are taught the label by somebody, we don’t see that this is this.

I’ll give you another example. Say there is somebody that we met somewhere, in Tibet or Africa, or Madagascar, or we spent some time with the person but then, after a long time, after many years, one day you meet them somewhere but we forgot. We see the person’s body but we can’t remember the name, the label. But then slowly, hearing the voice or seeing how their nose looks, either up or down, hearing the voice, seeing the features, seeing the behavior, suddenly we remember the name. We know we met somewhere, we had a pizza or something, we had a coffee or a fight! At the beginning, we see the aggregates, but our mind hasn’t labeled them “Robert” or something. We see the aggregates, but our mind hasn’t yet labeled them “Robert.” Not robbery, Robert! The mind hasn’t labeled them “Robert,” so we don’t have the appearance that this is Robert and we don’t see that person as Robert at that time. After some time talking, watching, seeing his behavior, his way of speaking, or maybe he says, “I am your friend. Remember? We did this in the past. I am Robert.” Then suddenly, our mind labels him “Robert.” That label “Robert” is merely imputed by the mind, it is a merely imputed Robert and then we believe that. We have the appearance of Robert. Then, after that, we see that this is Robert. So, you see now, this is our mind’s creation. It’s clear here.

The whole thing here is similar to A, B, C, D. It is exactly the same how all forms come from our mind, our mind merely imputes them, creates them. They are merely imputed, they appear as that and then we see [them as that]—this is this, this is this, this is light, this is a flower, this is a statue, this, this, this, like that. It’s the same in the department store. Everything is like that. When we go to a department store, when we go shopping, in each section there are billions of things and it’s all like this. Our mind merely imputes them all and believes in that; they appear that this is this. All the billions of things in the different sections, everything is like that. When we go to supermarket, there are so many different types of food and they are all like that, all created by the mind, merely imputed by the superstition.

So now, as I mentioned yesterday, Robert, who is merely imputed, does not appear back to the mind as not merely imputed by mind. That is the gag cha, the object to be refuted according to the Prasangika school. That real Robert is false, a hallucination, real in the sense of existing from its own side. That is decorated by our ignorance on the mere imputation. As I mentioned yesterday, our ignorance made it real. It made the real Robert, the Robert that exists from its own side. Then, we hold onto it, we let our mind trust that, believing this is true, there is such a real thing. There are the two things. First, our superstitious mind creates it and, second, it makes it real, existing from its own side, which is false, which is not there.

Everything is like this; everything is made real by ignorance. Everything is projected by ignorance, making it appear as real. Then, we hold onto it. So, there is a third thing. We trust it and we hold onto it as true, which creates the hallucination of true existence. So, there are actually these three things there: everything appears as real, which is a projection of ignorance, then we let our mind hold onto that as true, and then we create ignorance.

Everything is exactly the same as this—when we go to the supermarket or department store, when we go sightseeing in the cities or mountains. Whatever sightseeing we are going to see—when we go on a pilgrimage, sightseeing waterfalls, whatever—it is all like that; it is all our mind’s creation.

This is a very good meditation to do when we go sightseeing, if we can use the trip to meditate on emptiness by remembering this teaching. We prepare for the sightseeing trip but determine we are going to use the sightseeing to meditate on emptiness, to meditate on how everything is created by our mind. What we see, what appears to us, everything that appears to us comes from our mind. We need to remember these three things and continuously meditate on that. First, the mere imputation; second, projecting true existence; and third, holding onto it as true.

Now, here you should pay attention! This is the remedy, looking at that which is empty—which is everything—as empty. Seeing that, first, our superstitious mind merely imputes; second, our ignorance, by leaving a negative imprint on the mind, projects or decorates true existence; and third, we let our mind believe that it is true; we trust in that.

If we don’t have the remedy, when we do that, after the third one where we let our mind hold everything as true, believing that what appears as real is real, then attachment arises, anger arises, more ignorance arises. Jealousy arises, pride arises—all these negative emotional thoughts arise. We let our mind hold onto these false views of true existence, this appearance, and on that basis, we believe that this is real then we create the ignorance. On that basis, it is believed by ignorance. Then all those other negative emotional thoughts arise, and that makes us unhappy; that tortures our own mind. And the self-cherishing thought also arises.

This I that appears, which is made real due to projection by the ignorance, we let our mind hold onto it as true. Then the selfish mind cherishes it as so precious, as the most important thing. And yet, this real I is not there. Remember? It cherishes this real I that is not there. Do you get the idea? But it is not there, it doesn’t exist at all. To the selfish mind, this is the most important thing. “I am the most important. I am more important than all the sentient beings, including the buddhas and bodhisattvas. I am the most important.” That is the selfish mind, the self-cherishing thought. Do you understand?

BECAUSE OF SELF-CHERISHING WE HAVE NOT ATTAINED ENLIGHTENMENT

The self-cherishing thought doesn’t cherish the merely labeled I. I don’t know about arya beings, but for us, what the self-cherishing thought cherishes, this I we feel is the most important thing, this I is the false I. Through ignorance leaving the negative imprint, the hallucination of the truly existent I is projected. And then we let our mind believe it is true, and the self-cherishing thought cherishes that as the most important thing.

Here, please pay attention. Because of this self-cherishing thought, from beginningless rebirths up to now we haven’t achieved enlightenment, we haven’t even achieved liberation from samsara for ourselves. Until now, we haven’t been liberated from the suffering of samsara. Because of this self-cherishing thought, we haven’t achieved any of the lamrim realizations, even of the first lamrim, the graduated path of the lower capable being. Even the realization of impermanence and death didn’t happen. All this is blocked by the self-cherishing thought.

The self-cherishing thought has made our life totally empty from beginningless rebirths. Even though the continuity of the consciousness is beginningless, we have still not achieved any realizations. Our heart has been totally empty up to now. This is all due to the self-cherishing thought.

If we don’t eliminate this demon, this enemy, this self-cherishing thought that is dwelling in the heart, we will never be able to achieve enlightenment. Then, we will be unable to liberate the numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering. We won’t be able to enlighten all sentient beings, we won’t be able to accomplish the goal of our life. The meaning, the purpose of life won’t be achieved.

As the great bodhisattva Shantideva said,

If I do not actually exchange my happiness
For the suffering of others,
I shall not attain the state of buddhahood
And even in cyclic existence shall have no joy.¹

For example, a person who is very egoistic, with a very selfish mind, never gets along with the family. Even when they are living with the family, they never get along. Everybody finds problems with them, with their manners, with their way of behaving, their way of thinking. So, they are unable to find any happiness, even in the works of this life. In the office it is the same when somebody lives their life cherishing the I, with a selfish mind. Many problems arise. Their boss gives them a job to do, but they make mistakes and they become unpleasant to others. In short, they are disrespectful, not pleasant to other people, and even the boss gets upset. Then the boss, who gave them the job, who paid them, gets upset and kicks them out.

I am sure you have many examples, so I don’t have to give more, but I just remembered an example! There was a Tibetan boy, I think in the United States, in Madison. His mother was very religious, taking teachings from Geshe Sopa Rinpoche, a learned teacher from Tibet, outstanding even among the many thousands of learned Tibet teachers, so there is no question about nowadays.

There were many Tibetans who joined the pujas at Geshe-la’s center, Deer Park, but most didn’t go the teachings, only for His Holiness’s birthday celebrations. Of course, when His Holiness went, most of them would go because that was a different thing, but normally they didn’t go. It was kind of strange, but anyway! This Tibetan lady went to pujas, the tsog offerings and so forth and she tried to do a retreat in America. She was a nurse and every day she always did her practices morning and evening. She was very sincere, very dedicated. Anyway, her son didn’t find a job for many years. At one time, one of Geshe-la’s disciples, an ex-monk, tried to help him find a job. He had a good personality; people liked him, so this boy finally found a job.

Then, after about a week at work, the boss was giving a party and had cookies prepared on the table. I think this boy came along and ate the biscuits without waiting for the party to start, even though the boss had told him they were not to be eaten. I think the boy had not yet learned. I guess the family didn’t teach him how to behave, and because he hadn’t been taught, even though the boss said they had to wait one or two hours, the boy didn’t wait and ate them. Then, instead of apologizing, as he should have done, instead of being humble, he showed a little bit of arrogance. Due to self-cherishing thought, he was disrespectful, not even saying sorry. That would have fixed it, but the next day he lost his job and didn’t find another one for many years.

This is what I was talking about. Even the works of this life don’t succeed because of the self-cherishing thought. As I was talking, I remembered that story. I’m sure you can find many examples in your life, situations that have even happened to you.

I am using this to show how the self-cherishing thought is the big enemy even to achieving the happiness this life. Nobody likes a person with a selfish mind, even in the office, because with that attitude their behavior is different. There is no respect when speaking. So many problems arise because the person becomes unkind to others. The result is most people in the office don’t like them. Wherever the person goes, even to different parts of the world, they always find problems with people. They are constantly unhappy because people don’t like them, and then they are always very depressed, very sad and angry because of all those problems.

So, with the self-cherishing thought, we become alone. Nobody loves us, nobody likes us, nobody wants to help us. Nobody invites us to parties; nobody takes us for outings. We might be working in a busy office or living in a family, with many people around, but we are alone. Even though physically there are many people around, we are alone. That is the shortcoming of the self-cherishing thought. People don’t come to see us. They don’t even like to greet us when we are on the road. If they see us coming, they cross to the other side or take another road, until we go away.

The person who is selfless, who has a good heart, who thinks of others, who cares about others, who cherishes others, the compassionate person, the good-hearted person—when that person is with the family everybody is happy; they enjoy that person’s company. Everybody in the office is happy to see them, to have them working there. Inside the house or outside, wherever they go, others enjoy their company; they can feel the compassion or the warm heart of the person.

For example, Lama Yeshe took care of me, not only as guru but as a father for thirty years. Everybody could feel his warm heart and how he respected everybody, how he was humble with everybody. Everybody wanted to meet him. Even outside people who didn’t know him enjoyed seeing him. And another one, of course, is His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Concerning Lama Yeshe, everybody was so happy to be with him, to meet him, to talk to him; they could feel his warm heart.

Even my attendant or secretary, whatever, the key person in the organization, Raja [Roger], when we travel, at the airport, people have no idea who he is. People might not know him at all but they suddenly stop and shake his hand; they want to talk to him. They don’t do that to me! Because they feel my self-cherishing thought, they don’t feel that! With him, this unknown person, people really want to shake his hand and talk to him because they can see his gentleness, they can see his warm heart. From the expression on his face, they can see the soft heart, the gentle mind, how he is good-hearted. Even when we travel, people want to talk to him because they need happiness, they want to enjoy time with him. They feel his sincerity, his soft heart, his gentleness. Through the expression on his face, they know he is a good human being.

I just want to end this now. With a bad attitude we cannot even obtain happiness in this life. This ego, this self-cherishing thought has not only been harming us from beginningless rebirths up to now, it has especially been harming numberless sentient beings, directly and indirectly, from beginningless rebirths up to now, If we don’t do something in this life to eliminate this self-cherishing thought, if we don’t eliminate this enemy, this mara, this devil, the ego, the self-cherishing thought, then it will continuously harm numberless sentient beings directly or indirectly. That is much more terrifying [than just harming us]; that is the most terrifying thing.

Because of the self-cherishing thought, desire and anger arise, and then the many other negative emotions arise, harming other sentient beings in many different ways—killing, stealing and so forth. Because our self-cherishing thought harms numberless sentient beings, this is much more terrifying.

Therefore, we can’t wait even a second without doing something to destroy this self-cherishing thought right now, in this life. We can’t stand it even for a minute, even for a second; we have to eliminate it. Not only for our own happiness, for liberation and enlightenment, but most importantly for the happiness of the numberless sentient beings, for their temporal and ultimate happiness, for their liberation and enlightenment. This can’t wait. We can’t stand having it for even a minute, a second; we need to eliminate it. The shortcomings of self-cherishing are vast, like the limitless sky. That is how the ego is harmful.

Now, the I that self-cherishing cherishes is the truly existent I; it does not cherish the merely labeled I. We don’t think, “I am going to cherish the merely labeled I.” Maybe you do. I have never thought that! So, the I that we cherish is not even there. This is the “emotional I,” according to the psychologists’ term, the ordinary people’s term. It is called the real I in Buddhist philosophical texts describing the truly existent I, the I that exists from its own side or that exists by nature. That is the object to be refuted. It is the I that appears as not merely labeled by mind, which is not there at all.

To cherish something that is not there is even more … how do you say it? [Student: Ironic?] Yes, that’s right. Cherishing something that is not there as the most important thing is unbelievably foolish. Then, besides harming ourselves from life to life, we harm all the sentient beings.

GRASPING AT TRUE EXISTENCE IS THE CAUSE OF SAMSARA

Anyway, the little talk on the introduction to the shortcomings of the self-cherishing thought went by the way! I am going back to my road like the horse pulling [against the rider]. It is running everywhere!

So, do you remember what I told you before about what basis all the negative emotional thoughts arise from? They are the last thing. First, ignorance makes everything appear real, existing from its own side, not merely labeled by mind. Then, we let our mind hold onto that as true; we believe it to be true. On that basis, anger arises, attachment arises, all these negative emotional thoughts such as pride or jealousy arise, harming us, torturing us and harming other sentient beings. All the negative emotional thoughts come from the self-cherishing thought, as I mentioned before.

On this basis, we exaggerate things, labeling them good or bad, beautiful or ugly. When we exaggerate something as bad, anger arises; when we exaggerate something as good or beautiful, attachment rises. And then there is friend or enemy. Friend and enemy are built on the basis of the hallucination; they are projected by the hallucination, by the ignorance holding as true that which is not there, which is totally nonexistent.

How can objects of anger and attachment—which are total hallucinations—exist? If their foundation doesn’t exist, how can the object of anger or attachment exist? How can what anger apprehends or what attachment apprehends exist? This is totally false; there is no such thing there. What attachment holds onto as friend or what anger apprehends as enemy is not there. It is all a total hallucination. There is no such thing.

I don’t remember the exact words, but Lama Tsongkhapa explained that on the basis of ignorance seeing a thing as truly existent, as something real, not merely labeled by the mind, then it exaggerates [the qualities of the object]. We believe it to be good or bad, beautiful or ugly, and then attachment or anger arises. Sorry, I don’t remember every single word, but that is the conclusion. When we see this, we can realize there is no such thing as the object of anger or attachment. As well as the ignorance that grasps the object as truly existent, we can realize the object apprehended by that is empty. By abandoning that, by realizing that does not exist, we can realize that it is empty. I don’t remember every single word, but that is used as a reasoning to overcome delusions and achieve liberation, the cessation of suffering and its causes. Realizing that what our ignorance believes to be real does not exist allows us to be able to achieve liberation.

This is the analysis we should meditate on. It is what we should do when our life is disturbed, when in our day-to-day life our mind is tortured by anger and attachment all the time. It is very helpful doing the analysis on how these objects of the wrong concepts do not exist as we believe them to exist; that there is nothing there.

So, going back! All these other negative, emotional thoughts arise, appearing as something real. They have been made real by our ignorance. These disturbing, negative emotional thoughts obscure our mind from seeing the emptiness, the ultimate reality of I and phenomena, from seeing the reality—as I mentioned before but didn’t finish—of seeing it as impermanent. It obscures the mind from seeing things as impermanent, and from seeing samsaric pleasure, which is in the nature of suffering, as suffering. Instead of realizing that which is suffering is suffering, we think it is real happiness. It projects not only this but many wrong views. Disturbing our mental continuum, these delusions interfere with us achieving liberation and enlightenment. They obscure our mind and disturb our mind’s function.

For example, when the mind is occupied by the self-cherishing thought, there is no space for compassion to help others. Similarly, when our mind is filled with attachment, there is no space to really think of others’ happiness, of others’ needs. Pure loving kindness for others is blocked. Pure loving kindness without expectations, helping somebody without any conditions, unconditional loving kindness, doesn’t happen. It blocks us from opening our heart to others, to really caring about others and benefiting them. Even if we are doing something for others, actually in our heart, it is for our own happiness, to get something back from that person. If we do something for others with attachment, with self-cherishing, it is like that.

The Seventh Dalai Lama mentioned that all things—action, object, phenomena—are made real by ignorance, by the mind projecting true existence on them, and then trusting, holding onto that as true, but in reality there is nothing there. He compared it to a magician with mantra and substances who illusions the audience, so they see a jeweled palace or a beautiful man or woman. The magician makes so many things appear like that, making the audience believe that there is such a thing there. However, in reality there is no such thing; it is an illusion. It is exactly like that in our daily life—the I, action, object, all these phenomena, as I mentioned before. When we go sightseeing or on pilgrimage or when we go into the city for shopping, everything appears as truly existent, as real, and we believe it.

The Seventh Dalai Lama said that, like the example of the illusion, all these truly existent things are projected by ignorance and our ignorance holds onto them as true. By holding all that is totally nonexistent as true, it cheats us, it deceives us constantly. Our whole life we are constantly deceived by this ignorance holding onto things as true, trusting that. As I mentioned before, it not only cheats us but it causes negative emotional thoughts to arise, which then create so many negative karmas, the cause of samsara, the cause of the lower realms. All the oceans of samsaric suffering come from that. It is a huge cheating, the greatest cheating in life.

Here, the Seventh Dalai Lama is showing us how to not be deceived by this ignorance. There is a solution. In our daily life, we don’t cling to the I, the action and all the phenomena that appear as truly existent. We don’t hold onto them, we don’t grasp onto them, we don’t trust in them. We look at them as empty. The way we stop trusting in them, grasping onto them is by looking at all phenomena as empty. That which is empty in reality, we look at it as empty.

So now here, here is the conclusion. We’ll stop there tonight. I’m not going through the verse again. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next year! Here, we should not just say the words. We don’t hold onto things; we don’t grasp onto things. All these things that appear as truly existent, that are made real by ignorance, we no longer grasp onto them. We don’t hold onto them; we don’t trust them.

Now here pay attention! This is the conclusion. Every time we let our mind hold onto that which is projected by ignorance, trusting this, grasping onto this as something real or truly existent—that is the cause of samsara. Every time we do that, that is the root of samsara. You have already been meditating on samsara these last few days, on each realm’s suffering and general suffering, so you have some idea. Every time we hold onto this as true, we create the cause of samsara, the root of samsara.

I can say this. This is the biggest mistake in life. To express it another way, it is the biggest cheating, the greatest mistake, because the result is only suffering. What we want is happiness, liberation, enlightenment; what we don’t want is continuous suffering, to reincarnate again. Even reincarnating once in samsara is utterly disgusting, utterly unbearable. From beginningless rebirths up to now we have been reincarnating in the six realms, continuously suffering, so to reincarnate again is most disgusting, most unbearable.

Now, you see, we should not just recite the words, “emptiness,” but really in our life we must stop holding onto [things as true], stop grasping onto them. That is the meditation on emptiness. When we don’t hold onto things, when we don’t grasp onto things, when we don’t trust things, that is the meditation on emptiness. At that time, we are meditating on emptiness.

We might believe we have been meditating on emptiness for many years or we might be doing a retreat on emptiness, but our mind is constantly holding onto this notion, allowing everything to be made real or appear truly existent by our ignorance. And then, even in sessions or in break times, we believe we are meditating on emptiness but actually in our heart, we are constantly holding onto things as true, so that is not meditating on emptiness. We might be meditating on the words of emptiness but not actually meditating on emptiness. To not cling or trust, to not hold onto that as true, that is the meditation on emptiness.

Here, we have liberation. This is the antidote to samsara, to ignorance. From this, we achieve liberation, the total cessation of all the suffering and its causes. And then, with bodhicitta, we also achieve enlightenment. The way to do that is by looking at that which is empty as empty. Or by looking at that which is a hallucination as a hallucination. Or by looking at that which is false as false—the I, action, object, all these things that appear as truly existent.

PRACTICING EMPTINESS MINDFULNESS

Another method is to do the practice of mindfulness. While we are walking on a road, we are aware of the merely labeled I, the merely labeled walking and the merely labeled road. While we are driving a car, we are aware of the merely labeled I, the merely labeled driving and the merely labeled car. While we are eating, we are aware of the merely labeled I, the merely labeled eating and the merely labeled food.

We can either practice mindfulness in this way or look for the gag cha, the object to be refuted. By seeing how everything appears to be not merely labeled by mind and looking at that as the gag cha, looking at it as hallucinated or false, seeing how that which is empty is empty. We can do it either way. That is how we should try to practice mindfulness.

When we go shopping from our house—we don’t live at Kopan all the time—when we go shopping from home, when we go sightseeing or to parties or whatever, from our room we should think, “I am going to meditate on emptiness.” We should use the time when we are going shopping, driving, being in the shop, coming and going, to practice mindfulness, to look at dependent arising or to look at that which is empty as empty, looking at that which is a hallucination as a hallucination. Like that is very good. Before we go for a walk, we should plan that we are going to use that walk for a meditation and, like that, meditate on emptiness.

We can similarly do it with bodhicitta, impermanence and death, or another lamrim topic. When we go for a walk, we can look at impermanence and death or renunciation, we can meditate on bodhicitta or right view. Shopping, sightseeing, travelling, going to the office to do a job, whatever, we use everything like that for meditation. While we are doing our job, our mind is meditating on the lamrim. We don’t need to sit with crossed legs and closed eyes. We don’t need to do that. It could be an even more effective meditation while we are working in the office. We plan to meditate the whole way from home to the office, for our mind to be constantly in lamrim meditation. Then, our life becomes so meaningful and so enjoyable. Then, things around us don’t bother us, nothing is important. People praising us or criticizing us, whatever, nothing bothers us. Integrating our working life and meditation like this, our life becomes very profound.

I’ll stop here Sorry, again it has become crazy! Talking for a long time.